Lord of the Rings tells Brighton bin firm to change name

Lord of the Bins collects household, building and office waste across East and West Sussex

A waste collection firm in Brighton has been told by lawyers for the Lord of the Rings franchise to change its name.

Lord of the Bins collects household, building and office waste across East Sussex and West Sussex.

Nick Lockwood and Dan Walker, who run the company, said they were contacted by Middle-earth Enterprises, who own the worldwide rights to The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The pair said they faced the prospect of spending thousands to rebrand.

"Middle-earth Enterprises has sent and is enforcing a cease and desist, claiming we're in breach of their trademarks," Mr Lockwood said.

"They claim customers could think they were endorsed by or affiliated to Lord Of The Rings. But anyone in their right mind knows we're a completely separate and non-competitive business."

The company also claimed they were ordered to ditch their slogan, One Ring to Remove It All.

"We now have the prospect of spending thousands of pounds and effort rebranding, to appease a multi-billion pound company," Mr Lockwood added.

"We will survive this storm and continue providing a great service for our city, whatever our name."

Middle-earth Enterprises has been approached for comment.

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